Inmarsat’s BGAN awarded CommsMEA 2011 ‘Most Innovative Non-Voice Service’

Inmarsat, the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services, was awarded the CommsMEA 2011 “Most Innovative Non-Voice Service” award for their premium mobile broadband IP service, BGAN. The ceremony was held at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai, and attended by telecommunications industry professionals from the Middle East and Africa. 

“We are honored to receive this outstanding award and recognition for the second consecutive year,” said Helene Bazzi, Head of Region Development for Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, and Russia at Inmarsat. “BGAN has dominated in the mobile satellite services category as it not only provides reliable voice services, but the quality of its broadband data service has been exceeding the user communications requirements for years. As it only takes minutes to set up and begin streaming, users have been able to access data applications at broadband speed and make calls at the same time in the remotest of areas. 

“I would also like to thank our distribution channel in the region who have worked hard to ensure customer satisfaction in difficult circumstances,” she added. 

BGAN delivers voice and broadband data connectivity of up to 0.5Mbps to users wherever they are on the planet. BGAN is accessible via a range of small satellite terminals that can be carried as easily as a small laptop, and due to its simplicity of use, no technical expertise is required to use it. 

The CommsMEA 2011 awards shortlisted nominations were judged by a panel of international telecom experts comprising: Akshay Lamba, chief architect and head of IT strategy at MTS India; David Tusa, principal, Booz & Company; Jawad Abbassi, founder and general manager, Arab Advisors Group; Michèle Scanlon, principal consultant of Indian Atlantic Telecoms; Mark Kremers, associate partner, Oliver Wyman; and Rajeev Lalwani, partner, KPMS’s management consulting practice, Lower Gulf. 

Finalists for the “Most Innovative Non-Voice Service Award,” included Etisalat, BT Group, Comviva, and Zain. This award recognizes operators or VAS providers for developing a non-voice service that has gained substantial traction in the market and has made a significant contribution to service revenues, churn reduction and customer attraction.